


bound

by yourloveisameme



Series: would smell as sweet [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Fluff and Angst, I brake my own heart sometimes, Minor Character Death, Nightmares, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-02-04 14:11:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12772728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourloveisameme/pseuds/yourloveisameme
Summary: Parvati woke up trembling in the middle of the night, nightgown sticking to her sweaty back. She couldn’t breathe. For a moment, she didn’t know where she was. Dizzy and groggy, she threw the sheets off her body, drew her knees up to her chin, hugging herself.Beside her, Lavender sat up. “What’s wrong?”





	bound

Parvati woke up trembling in the middle of the night, nightgown sticking to her sweaty back. She couldn’t breathe. For a moment, she didn’t know where she was. Dizzy and groggy, she threw the sheets off her body, drew her knees up to her chin, hugging herself.

Beside her, Lavender sat up. “What’s wrong?”

“I...” Parvati took deep, shaky breaths. “I...had a dream.”

Lavender scooted closer. “About what?”

Parvati swallowed. “It...it was about you.” She was glad to see her girlfriend here, right in front of her. She could feel tears springing to her eyes, she was so relieved.

“Oh?” Her bright, lavender-blue eyes were wide with concern. Lavender stiffened, sucking in a breath. She hesitated for a second and then pulled her close and held her as she trembled. “It’s alright. I’m right here.” They stayed like that for a moment. In the dark she could faintly see her own name on Lavender’s fair skin, the tattoo that bound them together. She felt her heartbeat steadying as Lavender’s arms enclosed her.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Parvati nodded. She described her dream: Lavender’s body on the floor of the Great Hall; Parvati screaming in the background. She left out the part about her blood pooling on the floor, and the fresh pink scar on the left side of her face, courtesy of Fenrir Grayback. Lavender stirred feebly, but when Parvati got there it was too late.

Lavender listened quietly, hugging her tight. Parvati buried her face in Lavender’s shoulder. Parvati felt in a daze, restless all over and still struggling to catch her breath. But as Lavender stroked Parvati’s hair she began to calm down and almost had gone to sleep when there was a voice at the door.

“Parvati,” said her sister. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Parvati lied.

“I..I heard you talking.”

“I was talking to Lavender.”

Padma froze. “Lavender.” She gave a sigh, a look of pity crossing her face. “It’s been five years, Parvati, when are you going to move on?”

Parvati felt a prickle of annoyance. “She’s here.” Parvati insisted.

Padma shook her head. "I'm sorry, Parvati," she said, in a tone as if she was talking to a little kid. "You can't bring her back."

"Of course you can't see her," Parvati snapped. "You weren’t her soulmate."

"That's not how it works."

It was an old argument, one that Parvati was fucking tired of hearing. She clenched her teeth, about to spit an insult, call her twin sister _stupid_ and _heartless_ but Lavender put her hand on her shoulder and said, “Dont mind her. You can see me and that’s what matters.” Parvati nodded, leaning even closer into Lavender’s embrace. Her touch was light, ethereal, almost nonexistant but she could feel it all around her.

Padma gave another sigh and left, closing the door behind her.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. “It’s unfair that you had you had to go so early,” whispered Parvati.

She and Lavender had always been the ideal soulmate story; other kids at Hogwarts envied their perfect romance that blossomed right at the beginning of first year. Parvati saw the Mark on Lavender’s wrist and they instantly clicked, doing everything together, sharing dreams and butterfly clips and chaste kisses. Back when everyone was fresh-eyed and had no aching hearts, no war wounds.

“It’s not that bad of a wound,” said Lavender, as if reading her mind. And maybe she was, Parvati thought as she smiled and reached up to lightly trace Lavender’s scar with her finger.

Nobody knew what happened to souls that crossed the death line. Some like her, said they saw their mates in ghost form, others heard their voice in their heads, as if they’d merged into one body. Then there were people who were the opposite: the moment their soulmates died, they died too, inside. They were walking around as empty husks, able to move and think but always being just half of themselves.

Parvati guessed she was one of the lucky ones. The days were lonely and nights like this were full of nightmares, but she had Lavender beside her. She closed her eyes, relishing the softness of Lavender’s body against hers, the way she smelled like her perfume, lilac with a touch of vanilla. 

“Go back to sleep,” Lavender said. “I’ll be waiting for you in the morning...and the next morning...and the next...”

Maybe Padma was right and Lavender was only a figment of a deluded imagination, not a ghost or a piece of her beloved remaining in this world. In the end, did it really matter?

If she focused hard enough, she thought she could almost feel a pulse under Lavender’s cold, transparent skin.


End file.
